George Washington Memorial Bridge

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Aurora Bridge
Aurora Bridge
The main span of the bridge, looking east. The suspended truss is visible at the center of the cantilever arch structures
Official name George Washington Memorial Bridge
Carries Aurora Avenue N. (SR 99)
Crosses Lake Union
Locale Seattle, Washington
Maintained by Washington State DOT
ID number 0001447A0000000
Design Mixed, cantilever and truss
Longest span 475 ft (145 m)
Total length 2,945 ft (898 m)
Width 70 ft (21 m)
Clearance below 167 ft (51 m)
AADT 100,000 (2006)[1]
Opening date February 22, 1932
Coordinates 50°01′01″N, 90°01′01″W

The George Washington Memorial Bridge (commonly called the Aurora Bridge) is a cantilever and truss bridge that carries Aurora Avenue N. (State Route 99) over the west end of Seattle's Lake Union between Queen Anne and Fremont, just east of the Fremont Cut. It is 2,945 ft (898 m) long, 70 ft (21 m) wide, and 167 ft (51 m) above the water.[1] It is owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation.[1]

Contents

[edit] Design

The bridge has two cantilever sections, each 325 ft (99 m) long, balanced on the two main supporting anchors. A 150 ft (46 m) long Warren truss suspended span connects the two cantilevers in the middle. Thus the bridge's main span is 475 ft (145 m) long. At either end of the bridge there are additional Warren truss spans.[1][2] The steel superstructure involved in connecting the suspended truss to the cantilever spans gives the appearance of a truss arch bridge, but the arch plays little or no role in supporting the bridge.

[edit] History

The bridge was the final link in what was then called the Pacific Highway (today's U.S. Route 99), which ran from Canada to Mexico. It was designed by the Seattle architectural firm Jacobs & Ober, with Ralph Ober as the lead engineer on the project. Ober died in August, 1931, of a brain hemorrhage while the bridge was still under construction.[1] Construction on the bridge began in 1931, with its dedication held on February 22, 1932, George Washington's 200th birthday.[3]

Federal funding programs were not yet available, so the bridge was funded by Seattle, King County, and the state of Washington.[2] It opened to traffic on February 27, 1932.

The bridge crosses the Lake Union section of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Unlike earlier bridges across the ship canal the height of the Aurora Bridge eliminated the need for a drawbridge. In addition, it was Seattle's first major bridge built without streetcar tracks.[2]

The bridge was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places on January 2, 1980 for its "functional and aesthetic" design qualities and for its historical status as the first bridge constructed in the region without streetcar tracks.[4] It was accepted to the National Register on July 16, 1982.[4]

A local landmark, the Fremont Troll —a large cement sculpture of a fantasy-style troll eating a real-life Volkswagen Beetle— was installed under the bridge's north end in 1990.

Following the collapse of the I-35 cantilever bridge on August 1, 2007, the Washington State Department of Transportation was directed to perform inspections of all steel cantilever bridges in the state that used gusset plates in their design, including the George Washington Memorial Bridge.[5] The bridge had earlier been certified as structurally sound with no serious deficiencies detected.[6]

[edit] Suicides

Sign advertising suicide hotline
Sign advertising suicide hotline

The bridge's height and pedestrian access make it a popular location for suicide jumpers.[7] Since inception, there have been over 230 successful suicides from the bridge, with nearly 50 deaths occurring in the past decade.[1] The first suicide occurred in January 1932, when a shoe salesman leapt from the bridge before it was completed.[8]

Numerous reports have been written about the high incidence of suicide on the bridge, many of them using the bridge as a case study in fields ranging from suicide prevention to the effects of prehospital care on trauma victims.[9] The Lake Union Review, a supplement to the now-defunct Seattle Press, published a detailed report on the physics of a suicide from the bridge:[7]

One of six emergency phones on the bridge
One of six emergency phones on the bridge
“ A 160-pound person covers the 180 feet in 2.2 seconds. Depending upon the configuration of the body during the fall, final speed is about 55 m.p.h. Force at impact is about 28,000 foot-pounds, equivalent in energy to being blasted by 20 30-30 Winchester rifles from a distance of 180 feet. ”

Despite the force of impact, jumpers occasionally survive the fall from the bridge, though not without sustaining grave injuries.[10][11]

News sources have recently begun referring to the George Washington Memorial Bridge as a suicide bridge[12] and, in December 2006, six emergency phones and 18 signs were installed on the bridge to encourage people to seek help instead of jumping.[13] In late 2006 a group of community activists and political leaders living near the bridge created the nonprofit Fremont Individuals and Employees Nonprofit to Decrease Suicides (FRIENDS), their primary focus being the installation of a suicide barrier on the bridge.[14]

[edit] Metro bus tragedy

A southbound Route 358 articulated bus crosses the George Washington Memorial Bridge
A southbound Route 358 articulated bus crosses the George Washington Memorial Bridge

On November 27, 1998, Mark McLaughlin, the driver of a southbound route 359 Express articulated bus, was shot and killed by a passenger, Silas Cool, while crossing the bridge.[15][16] Cool shot himself as the bus veered across two lanes of traffic and plunged off the bridge's eastern side onto the roof of an apartment building below.[15][16] Herman Liebelt, a passenger on the bus, later died of injuries he sustained in the accident.[17]

A service for McLaughlin was held on December 8, 1998, at Key Arena in Seattle.[18] Numerous state and county officials attended the service, which included a procession of over 80 Metro buses and vans.[18] Over 100 transit drivers attended the service, and Metro announced their plans to retire the number 359 as a route designation and replace it with route 358.[18]

According to estimates from the Washington State Department of Transportation, repairs to the bridge cost over $18,000.[19] Medical claims from the victims against King County amounted to $2.3 million.[20]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Dorpat, Paul; Genevieve McCoy (1998). Building Washington: A History of Washington State Public Works. Tartu Publications, pp. 117. ISBN 0-9614357-9-8. 
  2. ^ Kirby Lindsay (2007-01-11). The draw of the Aurora Bridge: Despite popular belief,the Aurora Bridge isn't prone to heartbreaking situations. Pacific Publishing Company. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  3. ^ a b Atly, Elizabeth & Soderberg, Lisa (1982), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, National Parks Service, pp. 4, <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:George_Washington_Memorial_Bridge_Nomination_Form.PDF> 
  4. ^ Washington State Bridge Construction Practices and Gusset Plates. Washington State Department of Transportation (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
  5. ^ 2007 Annual Bridge Update (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation (2007-06-30). Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
  6. ^ a b JUMPERS. The Stranger (2000-04-19). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  7. ^ City hopes to dissuade suicidal jumpers. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  8. ^ Fortner GS, Oreskovich MR, Copass MK, Carrico CJ (1983). "The Effects of Prehospital Trauma Care on Survival from a 50 Meter Fall". Journal of Trauma 23 (11): 976-81. PMID 6632028. 
  9. ^ Woman survives jump from Aurora Bridge. The Seattle Times (2007-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  10. ^ Life After The Fall. Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1996-03-05). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  11. ^ 'Suicide bridge’ hurts workers’ mental health. msnbc.com. (2007-01-26). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  12. ^ SR 99 - Aurora Bridge Suicide Prevention Project. Washington State Department of Transportation (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
  13. ^ Neighbors work to end bridge's tragic pull. The Seattle Times (2007-09-17). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  14. ^ a b Rider Shoots Driver; 2 Dead, Dozens Hurt -- Bus Careens Off Bridge -- Murder-Suicide A Possibility. The Seattle Times (1998-11-28). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  15. ^ a b Bus Driver Killed By Shot To Chest -- Search Of Gunman's Apartment Turns Up Additional Guns, Knives. The Seattle Times (1998-11-30). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  16. ^ Victim Was Trying `To Make A Difference' - Herman Liebelt Had Varied Interests, Causes. The Seattle Times (1998-11-29). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  17. ^ a b c Bus Drivers Honor One Of Their Own -- Memorial For Mark Mclaughlin. The Seattle Times (1998-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  18. ^ Part Of Bridge To Be Closed. The Seattle Times (1998-12-19). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  19. ^ Aurora bus wreck tops county list of $10.9 million for claims, suits. The Seattle Times (2000-04-11). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
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Bridges and Tunnels in and around Seattle
Road bridges: Alaskan Way Viaduct | Ballard Bridge | East Channel Bridge | Evergreen Point Floating Bridge | First Avenue South Bridge | Fremont Bridge | George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge) | Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge (Third Lake Washington Floating Bridge) | Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (I-90 Floating Bridge) | Magnolia Bridge | Montlake Bridge | Ship Canal Bridge | South Park (14th/16th Ave) Bridge | Spokane Street Bridge | 12th Avenue South Bridge | University Bridge | West Seattle Bridge
Rail bridges/trestles: Salmon Bay Bridge | Wilburton Trestle
Tunnels: Battery Street Tunnel | Great Northern Tunnel | Mercer Island Lid | Metro Transit Tunnel | Mount Baker Tunnel


Coordinates: 47.64657° N 122.34727° W

 
Crossings of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
Upstream
Ship Canal Bridge
 George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge)
 Downstream
Fremont Bridge